You can have an expansion to a game in beta? Wtf does that even mean? Should GW2 devs start hyping the expansion they have planned to launch when they go into closed beta? Zomg did anyone check out the awesome massive expansion SW:sRPG just got? So cool guyz! Herp meet durp…
A cash shop? The game is in beta, WHY ARE YOU PAYING FOR IT? My head is spinning so fast right now it’s nauseating. And didn’t this game die along with Alganon, when they tried selling WoW version .004 but with $700 gear sets and $10 death penalties?
MMO hype is generally stupidly over the top, but this? And shame on Massively for posting is garbage (Jef of all people… really man?).
Hardcore Casual 
Did you miss the memo on F2P and betas? Open Beta *is* launch. They all have cash shops in OB and your characters are always permanent. Everyone knows that.
Anyhoo, in my book, if you can play it, who cares what they call it? I liked Allods in Closed Beta (when there was no cash shop). Not so much since.
Indeed I did miss that memo. Now I need someone to explain the difference between an open beta F2P title and one that has launched.
On the plus side: every time Massively posts a story about Allods, the comments make it abundantly clear that Gpotato are fooling nobody with their mildly-polished turd.
lol,
This is why capitalism works. If you make money… you flourish… if not…
In fact since everyone who has made a quality game has gone subscription, I would venture that “Fee” still > “Free”. (Rift)
As to this Open Beta is the new release. This is not really true.
########### BETA Reality
Here is what happens. You have cost and schedule but right about the end you say gee we need to beta test this sucker with the public. Your funder comes back and says great how you going to pay for servers? Er…. Oh I know we will charge for the Beta! yeah that’s the ticket *facepalm* this wont work
BUT…
############ SWTOR and the BETA travails
for those of you who have not noticed beta is still closed for SWTOR. NOW the jedi devs are trying to get the following to happen a SWTOR semi-open beta (whut?) and full open beta
Right now SWTOR has 1 million signed up beta testers! yikes with that many you don’t have beta testing you have a buggy launch.
What to do? Well the semi-open beta IS one method low server population get polished etc… but what do you do about public beta? Do you have one? What about server loads and performance (something… hint hint IS an issue here)
Anywho SWTOR is a title that has a BIG beta issue and we MIGHT just might have a pay for beta access come about… They might do this to defray the beta testing infrastructure costs.
But this is a “when do I slaughter the cow for meat vs milk it” argument that frankly has no good outcome.
SWTOR… may just get killed by it’s beta event… NOW THAT is something to think about.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. After its first close beta, Rift had 5 complete expansions with new areas opening up, increased level caps, new types of rifts introduced, etc. — all before launch. ;)
This is somewhat bizarre aright. I did play Allods for a bit last year around the time of the cash shop debacle and I don’t remember being aware that it was officially a beta.
On the other hand if this gives them an excuse to relaunch the game and get a bit of publicity I don’t mind. Allods really is a sad and sobering story. There is a quite a good game in there that was totally destroyed by the negative publicity generated by a bungled cash shop implementation. I would like to see the game get a second chance but of course it is the way of the internet to never forget and mere mention of the game is enough to bring an army of rabid posters who will badmouth the game and its distributor at any opportunity.
IMO, the badmouthing is more than warranted. Any company who assumes they can completely bend people over ($700 gem gear?) deserves to shut down. Plus it’s not like Allods is some shining gem of innovation that the genre needs, it’s a by-the-numbers F2P themepark. I think we have enough of those already.
Strange point of view Syncaine. The company made a bad mistake and they have been severely punished for it. I doubt they were being malicious just naively optimistic. What is the point of holding a grudge against them forever? Get over it I say.
Not sure if I agree with your “by the numbers theme park assertion either” did you ever play the game? It did have quite a few unique features. In any case it wasn’t a bad game and it is always sad to see a game go down due to financial / marketing mismanagement.
I’m openly against any model that sells power. Allods was (is?) the most blatant example here. The $700 gem set is not a joke, it was reality. Sorry, that goes leaps and bounds beyond ‘naively optimistic’ in my book.
I did play it back before the cash shop was released. Both Aria and I found it pretty standard and just boring, even for a themepark.
I personally will hold a grudge against them forever in the hopes that their marketing mismanagement forces the company under. Consider it a warning to any other companies considering the same option.